The New England Colonies
Religion and Colonization (Bkgd.)
 1517- Martin Luther
 German monk; publishes criticisms of Catholic Church (corrupt)
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1000’s support his attempt to reform
protestors become known as “Protestants”
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Anglican Church or Church of England”
 King Henry VIII creates this…
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Some Protestants think still too Catholic
 Want to “purify” Anglican Church
 Remove all traces of Catholicism’s corruptness
 Called them “Puritans”
More radical Protestants…
 Want complete “separation” from both Catholic and Anglican
 Become known as “Separatists”
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but keeps most of Catholic pieces
Formed own version of Christianity
Anyone not Anglican in England (Puritans, Separatists, and Catholics)
were persecuted
Many believe America only place to worship freely
European Religion
CHRISTIANITY
CATHOLIC CHURCH
ONLY Christian
religion at the time
PROTESTANTS
PURITANS
Want to “purify” or fix the church
(good, but can be better)
SEPARATISTS
What to completely “separate” from
Catholic… start fresh but still
Christian
Plymouth Colony
 Persecuted Separatists in England
 Group goes to Holland…

still persecuted!
 Obtain charter from London Company’s
grant in “Virginia”
 Sept. 1620- sail on Mayflower for Virginia
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35 Pilgrims
67 “Strangers”
 11/9/1620- sight land BUT… not Virginia!
 b/c winter approaching settle outside of grant
and its laws… they named Plymouth
 Draft “Mayflower Compact” to allow them to
settle outside of grant and its laws
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Winter and disease wipe out half!!!
 Pilgrims get help following spring
 Natives teach how to survive
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How and when to plant corn
Where and how to hunt and fish
Arrange peace treaty with Wampanoag Tribe
Celebration of Thanksgiving
Puritans
 Despite only wanting to reform Anglican
church…
 Still heavily persecuted
 1629- King Charles I (England) grants them
charter in new Massachusetts Bay Colony
 1630- 17 ship convoy sets sail w/ 1,000
Puritans!!!
 New England life different from Virginia
 Winters stop spread of malaria
 Tough 1st year but most still outlive people
of England or Virginia
 Land very fertile
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Inland people- farmers
Sea Coast people- merchants, fishermen
 Want to spread out
 Receive large tracts from colonial gov’t
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Settle several all centering around chief town,
Boston
 By 1640- 20,000 had come to this “New
England”
 Movement called “Great Migration”
Church and Community
 Puritans believed formed covenant w/ God
to build society based on Bible
 Sacred agreement
 Church, fam., edu., and gov’t used to create
and sustain “perfect Godly Community”
 Church most important aspect of life
 Encouraged families to emigrate
 Instill Puritan ideals
 Used education to sustain social and
religious unity
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Had to be able to read (the Bible) to
understand their ways
Towns w/ 50+ families had to provide school
1636 founded Harvard
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1st college in English colonies
 Discussed comm. issues @ town meetings
 Political power in hands of “General
Court”
 Then they gave people right to vote!
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More power than people in England
READ
ME!!!
Conflicts in New England
 Came to America for religious freedom
 BUT…
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Didn’t tolerate people who disagreed w/ Puritan opinions
 Roger Williams
 Puritan minister who questioned Puritan ways
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Insisted colonists had no right to land outside of grants (Natives land)
 Either colonists or king pay natives for it
Believed these actions would upset natives; who would attack
 Expelled in 1635
 Went south and founded new colony; Rhode Island
 Chartered in 1644
 Instilled ideals of fair treatment of natives and religious freedom
 Anne Hutchinson
 Held mtgs. to discuss religious ?’s attracts large #’s
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Believed to be a threat to Puritan way b/c of #’s, ?’s and b/c women allowed
 Expelled in 1637
 She and followers go to Rhode Island
 Salem Witch Trials
 Most Puritans believed in the occult
 Several girls start acting “strangely”
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3 charged w/ “bewitching” them
Soon 100’s are accused of being witches
 30 found guilty
 19 either hung or burned at the stake
 Illustrates the worst of Puritan suspicion and intolerance!!!
New Settlements
Connecticut
 Connecticut River Valley to the
south more fertile than
Massachusetts
 People begin to settle here
 1636- Thomas Hooker; another
Puritan minister
 Didn’t like way they ran the
Massachusetts colony
 Led his congregation through the
wilderness south, founded Hartford
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1639- Hartford and 2 other towns,
agreed to form a colony
 Adopted plan of gov’t called the
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
 1st written constitution in America
New Hampshire
 Others disliking Puritan ways
 like Williams in Rhode Island
and Hooker in Connecticut
 begin to leave
 1638- John Wheelwright led
group north from Massachusetts
 Set up towns of Exeter, and
Hampton
 Colony becomes fully
independent from
Massachusetts in 1679